Bread and Butter Pickles

This year my garden was overrun with an abundance of cucumbers.  My thoughts turned to pickles and the only recipe in the family archives was a concoction of my fathers he called, 'Converted Dills'.  I simply refuse to use this Lime Kool-Aid based recipe so I went in search of a Bread and Butter pickle that my whole family could enjoy. 

I wanted something simple, quick, tasty, and crispy.  No soft, mushy pickles here, I made several attempts and in the end this was a combination of several recipes that gave me the desired results. 

6 cups (1 1/2 pounds) thinly sliced pickling cucumbers*
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

1. Combine cucumbers and salt in a large, shallow bowl; cover and chill 1 1/2 hours. Move cucumbers into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Drain well, and return cucumbers to bowl. Add onion to the bowl.

2. Combine sugar and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Regular pickles work well too, the seeds tend to be bigger but, the taste is still wonderful.